Sen.
Chris Coons: Burden of proof lies with Brett Kavanaugh to prove his innocenceSen. Chris Coons, Delaware Democrat, drew double-takes on the right
Monday after insisting that the burden of proof lies with Supreme Court
nominee Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to prove his innocence. Mr. Coons said
that Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez have nothing to gain and
have put themselves at legal risk by accusing Mr. Kavanaugh of sexual
misconduct in his teen years. It is Judge Kavanaugh who is seeking a lifetime
appointment to the Supreme Court and who I think now bears the burden of
disproving these allegations, said Mr. Coons in a Monday interview on
MSNBC, rather than Dr. Ford and Deborah Ramirez who should be dismissed
with slanderous accusations. Washington TimesVOA VIEW: Coon is an idiot - the rule
of law is that a person is innocent until proven guilty.

Trump
says Kavanaugh accusers are part of Democrats' 'con game'President Trump said Tuesday that Democrats are playing a con game
on his Supreme Court nominee by advancing the claims of woman who say Brett
Kavanaugh engaged in sexual misconduct in high school and college. He also
questioned the version of events detailed by Deborah Ramirez, a Yale classmate
who says Judge Kavanaugh might have exposed himself to her at an alcohol-laced
party  though she says she was not initially certain it was him. The
second accuser has nothing, Mr. Trump told reporters after his speech
to the U.N. in New York. It was the furthest Mr. Trump has gone in questioning
the accusations against Judge Kavanaugh, and in decrying the motives of
Democratic senators who, already long-opposed to Judge Kavanaugh, now say
the unsubstantiated allegations should sink his nomination.
Washington TimesVOA VIEW: Dems are con artists.

Bill
Cosby's legacy: From America's dad to 'America's rapist'Bill Cosby's three-to-10-year prison sentence and branding by a Pennsylvania
judge as a "sexually violent predator" puts a final dagger in a damaged
 but undeniably extensive  pop-culture legacy. The 81-year-old actor
broke racial barriers with I Spy in the late 1960s, enticed millions of
kids to eat Jell-O pudding starting in the late '70s and reignited the
sitcom (and NBC) with The Cosby Show, which ranked as TV's top series for
five years in the late 1980s. Even before his conviction for sexual assault
last April, "a young college student probably best knows Bill Cosby as
that guy who got accused of all those horrible things," says Robert
Thompson, a professor of TV history at Syracuse University. Unlike other
icons plagued by lesser scandals, from Martha Stewart to Mel Gibson, the
case is "not just a footnote on his legacy; it's an enormous cloud that
completely covers his legacy." USA Today

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Florida's
Rick Scott trails Bill Nelson in US Senate race by 7 points, poll saysDespite millions of dollars spent against him, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson
is favored to win his re-election bid in Florida, according to the latest
poll released Tuesday. The Quinnipiac University poll found 53 percent
of likely voters back the Democratic incumbent while 46 percent support
his Republican opponent, Gov. Rick Scott. This is the first poll that's
shown Nelson has a commanding lead over Scott. Other recent polls have
maintained the race is a toss-up or Scott has an extremely narrow lead.
An earlier Quinnipiac poll, released Sept. 5, found the race was a dead
tie. USA TodayVOA VIEW: Liberal polls don't win elections
- it happened in 2016 and can happen again for Scott.

China
denies U.S. request for Navy ship port call in Hong KongAmid the ongoing trade conflict between Washington and Beijing, U.S.
officials said Tuesday China has denied a request for a U.S. Navy warship
to make a port call at a port in Hong Kong next month. The amphibious assault
ship was scheduled to arrive at the Hong Kong port next month, U.S. military
officials said Monday. "The Chinese government did not approve a request
for a port visit to Hong Kong by the USS Wasp," the U.S. Consulate said
Tuesday. "We have a long track record of successful port visits to Hong
Kong, and we expect that to continue." The ship is part of a group based
in Japan and operating in the Indo-Pacific region. UPIVOA VIEW: China mistake.

Trump
at U.N. urges isolating Iran, tossing out 'abusive' trade dealsPresident Donald Trump called on the United Nations General Assembly
Tuesday to isolate Iran's dictatorship through sanctions and diplomacy.
Trump said the isolation could be achieved by denying Tehran funds to continue
sponsoring terrorism. The Tuesday morning speech at U.N. headquarters in
New York City also touched on improving relations with North Korea and
the escalating trade war with China. The overarching theme for Trump's
speech was "America first," a theme he's repeated throughout his presidency.
"America will never apologize for protecting its citizens," he said. UPI

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Feinstein
cant guarantee Kavanaugh accuser shows, as Ford bristles over role of
female attorneyThe top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee acknowledged Tuesday
she cant guarantee the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett
Kavanaugh of sexual assault will show up to testify at a looming hearing,
as her attorneys raise concerns about the format. The news comes as Republicans
scheduled a Friday morning Judiciary Committee vote on whether to recommend
Kavanaugh's confirmation to the full Senate -- a move the ranking Democrat
on the committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., called "outrageous."
For Republicans to schedule a Friday vote on Brett Kavanaugh today, two
days before Dr. Blasey Ford has had a chance to tell her story, is outrageous,"
Feinstein said in a statement. First Republicans demanded Dr. Blasey
Ford testify immediately. Now Republicans dont even need to hear her before
they move ahead with a vote." FoxVOA VIEW: Ford will be a no show.

'She
has nothing': Trump attacks second woman to accuse Brett KavanaughDonald Trump has disparaged one of two women
to accuse Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, saying she has nothing
on his supreme court nominee and was messed up when the alleged incident
took place, as he accused Democrats of running a con game to stop the
nomination. Trump, seated next to the Colombian president at the United
Nations in New York, cast doubt on allegations brought by Deborah Ramirez,
who claimed that she was harassed by Kavanaugh when they were first-year
students at Yale. The second accuser has nothing, Trump said. The second
accuser thinks maybe it could have been him, maybe not. She admits she
was drunk. She admits time lapses. Guardian

ABC
accused of playing dirty in bid to win network news warIndustry insiders are accusing ABC of dirty tricks in the war for network
news dominance, Page Six has learned. In 2015  when their evening news
broadcasts were locked in a tight battle for the top spot  NBC got caught
double-dipping to boost ratings by re-airing the Nightly News at 2 a.m.
and then adding the viewers for both broadcasts together. Now, with the
two networks numbers once again locke d in close combat, ratings wonks
have noticed that ABC has  without fanfare  begun airing David Muirs
World News Tonight in LA at 3:30 p.m. (that is, when it airs live at
6:30 p.m. on the East Coast), then also airing the normal taped version
at 6:30 p.m. LA time. New York PostVOA VIEW: ABC's dirty trick will not work
- liberal loser.

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John
Bolton warns Iran 'there will be hell to pay' if aggression continueNational Security Adviser John Bolton delivered a no-holds-barred warning
to Iran at a major summit in New York on Tuesday, telling the regime in
a fiery speech that "we are watching, and we will come after you" and that
there will be "hell to pay" if it continues on its current course. Bolton's
saber-rattling remarks came hours after President Trump, in his own dramatic
address to the U.N. General Assembly, called on "all nations to isolate
Iran's regime as long as its aggression continues." Tensions have dramatically
escalated in recent weeks between Iran and the U.S., as well as its regional
allies. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has claimed that
an attack Saturday at an Iranian military parade, which left dozens of
Iranian military personnel dead, was carried out by militants trained by
Israel and the Gulf states, and supported by the U.S. FoxVOA VIEW: Iran is playing with Trump,
not Obama.

TV host
says why she kept silent on her alleged rapeUS television host Padma Lakshmi has explained why she kept silent
after allegedly being raped as a teenager. In a piece for the New York
Times, Ms Lakshmi, 48, says she was raped by a man over 30 years ago. But
she said she began to feel the alleged attack was her fault, and that she
understands why women might not disclose sexual assaults. Her article was
prompted by allegations surrounding Donald Trump's choice for the Supreme
Court. The US president has cast doubt on two women who have accused Judge
Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. The allegations against Judge Kavanaugh,
which he has repeatedly denied, date back to the 1980s. The Top Chef host
says she dated the man while still a teen. In her account, she said they
went to his apartment where she fell asleep, and woke up with him on top
of her.
BBC

Facebook
shares drop as Instagram founders leaveShares of Facebook fell more than 2 percent in
early trading on Tuesday after the two founders of photo-sharing
app Instagram left the social networking giant under unexplained circumstances.
Analysts said the departure of Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger may have
been the result of friction with chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg
over how Facebooks fastest-growing revenue generator is run. Our sense
is the duo may have wanted to run Instagram more independently than their
parent company wanted, said Scott Kessler, an analyst at research firm
CFRA. We think (the) departures are a notable negative for Facebook.
New
York PostVOA VIEW: Facebook should be sanctioned,
regulated and people should turn off.

Has France's
Macron lost his charmEmmanuel Macron may be a big figure on the world stage, but at home
in France he's facing an uphill struggle to regain public confidence. After
16 months in office, the promises of economic growth and more jobs have
yet to materialise. The French president is shedding popularity fast. Should
he be worried? The polling agencies agree that Emmanuel Macron's popularity
is at its lowest point. According to OpinionWay, only 28% of voters are
satisfied with his performance - down from 35% in July. With these figures,
he is actually more unpopular at this point in his mandate than were either
of his predecessors - François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy. BBC

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Ginsburg:
If I were queen, no death penaltySupreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg talks about the death penalty
while speaking at an event at Columbia Law School in New York. CNNVOA VIEW: Ginsburg should retire - she
has lost all sense.

Storms
packing 70 mph winds move through Chicago area, downing trees, power linesSevere thunderstorms hit northern Illinois on Tuesday, leaving downed
trees and power lines in their wake, and triggering warnings for much of
the Chicago area. Afternoon storms that prompted a tornado warning west
of Galesburg moved east through the Chicago area. A severe thunderstorm
warning issued for extreme southeast Cook County and parts of Lake County,
Ind., including Gary, expired at 7 p.m. About 65,000 ComEd customers were
without power following the storms, with the largest number in the power
utilitys west region, according to a ComEd spokesman. Earlier severe thunderstorm
warnings expiring at 6 p.m. in most of Cook and other Chicago-area counties
were called off or allowed to expire. Chicago Tribune

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Global spotlight
on world drug problem is personal for many families, says UN chiefDrug addiction is more than just a policy issue. It is personal.
Mr. Guterres said at the event, noting that the reality is that drugs
and addiction are not abstract issues. All of us have stories and it
is our duty to act  and act now, underscored the UN chief. He highlighted
that he had lost a friend to drugs at an unbearably young age, and also
described how his sister had spent many years working as a psychiatrist
at a drug treatment centre in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. I saw the
heavy toll it took on her day after day as she treated those suffering
so badly, he said, adding that he had enormous admiration for her. I
think I have done several tough jobs in my life. Nothing compares with
what I have seen her do. UN

Trump
administration takes new steps on crafting data privacy frameworkThe Trump administration took new, preliminary steps toward crafting
a nationwide data privacy policy, issuing a request for comments from interested
stakeholders on a proposed framework put forward Tuesday by the Commerce
Department. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA), an executive-branch agency responsible for advising the president
on telecommunications issues, made public a 7-part proposal that noted
the drawbacks of a "nationally and globally fragmented regulatory landscape."
The proposal -- a product of months-long consultations with dozens of industry,
privacy and government groups -- lays out goals related to transparency,
security and control of personal data that is collected by internet companies.
CBS

Elizabeth
Warren wants Massachusetts voters to volunteer in the closest competitive
House districtsElizabeth Warren is rallying Massachusetts residents to get out the
vote, and not just in their home state. With no Bay State congressional
districts currently projected to be competitive this November, Warren is
partnering with the progressive group Swing Left to call on her constituents
to volunteer in other states, as Democrats strive to take back majority
control in the U.S. House of Representatives. Boston
GlobeVOA VIEW: Warren is an idiot.

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Increasing
hostilities in Libya taking heavy toll on civilians, warns UN relief officialOngoing clashes between different militias in the Libyan capital have
trapped many civilians and displaced numerous families, according to the
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). An estimated
5,000 families, including 1,700 in just the past two days, have sought
refuge with relatives in safer parts of the city and its outskirts since
fighting commenced on 26 August. Many are afraid to leave their homes
because of looting by armed groups or criminal elements. As the fighting
escalates, the number of civilians affected by violence is bound to increase,
UN Humanitarian Coordinator Maria Ribeiro said in a statement. In addition,
the clashes have led to a breakdown in basic services such as electricity
and water. UN

CBS
Corporation names Richard Parsons interim chairman as 2 board members step
downCBS Corporation has named longtime media and finance executive Richard
Parsons as interim chairman of the board of directors, while announcing
that two other board members are stepping down. The board is continuing
its search for a chief executive to replace Leslie Moonves, who resigned
earlier in September following sexual assault and harassment allegations.
Parsons, 70, previously served as CEO and chairman of Time Warner, helping
to steady the company in the years following its disastrous merger in 2000
with AOL. He was interim CEO of the Los Angeles Clippers for four months
in 2014 and on the board at Citigroup from 1996 to 2012, ultimately serving
as chairman. Parsons' appointment was unanimously approved by the board
on Tuesday, following a recommendation by the board's nominating and governance
committee, the company said in a release. CBS

Trump
Has a Weapon to Lower Oil Prices and Its Not His TwitterTweeting will only get you so far. After failing to cajole OPEC to
pump more and lower oil prices, U.S. President Donald Trump could pursue
a more direct route: tapping his nations Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
And just as with his tweets, that may not lead him to his goal. With global
benchmark Brent crude at a 4-year high above $80 a barrel less than two
months before key mid-term elections in the U.S., the growing consensus
in the industry is that its more a question of when, not if, Trump authorizes
a release from the emergency stockpiles built after the 1973-74 oil crisis.
Bloomberg

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